The ability of wireless devices, such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants, to run software applications is well known in the art. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional wireless device network. The network 108 includes a sending wireless devices 102 and 110. Both wireless devices 102 and 110 are capable of running a device application 106. The device application 106 can run on a number of application platforms, such as the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW™) platform from Qualcomm Incorporated™. The wireless device 102 can send messages to the wireless device 110 via the network 108. The receiving wireless device 110 further includes a trash bin 116 and may or may not include the device application 106.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional method of handling messages between wireless devices in the network. First, the sending wireless device 102 sends a message for a device application 106 to the receiving wireless device 110 in the network 108, via step 202. The application platform 104 on the receiving wireless device 110 receives the message, and determines if the device application 106 exists on the device 110, via step 204. If the device application 106 exists on the receiving wireless device 110, the message is delivered to it, via step 206. However, if the device application 106 does not exist on the receiving wireless device 110, the message is discarded by placing it in the trash bin 116 on the receiving wireless device 110, via step 208.
For example, assume that the device application 106 is a chess application. The user of the sending wireless device 102 sends a message containing a request to begin a chess game. The message is then sent to the receiving wireless device 110 via the network 108, via step 202. The applications platform 104 of the receiving wireless device 110 determines if the chess application exists on the device 110, via step 204. If it does exist, then the message is delivered to the chess application, via step 206. The user of the receiving wireless device 110 can then be notified that a message for the chess application has been received. If the chess application does not exist on the receiving wireless device 110, then the application platform 104 discards the message by placing it in the trash bin 116, via step 208.
However, in discarding messages in this manner, the user of the receiving wireless device 110 is not made aware of messages received that pertained to device applications not on the wireless device 110. Thus, an opportunity for the application developer to sell the device application 106 to the user of the receiving wireless device 110, and for the user to purchase the device application 106, is lost.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved method of handling messages between wireless devices in a network. The improved method should notify a user of a wireless device that a message is received that pertained to a device application not on the wireless device.
The user can then be given the opportunity to purchase this device application. The present invention addresses such a need.